


Don't awaken my dragon

by Lets_change_fate (Zaazaaa)



Series: Claws and paws universe [3]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: A little angst, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentioned Generation of Miracles, Shapeshifting, soulanimal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-03-31 12:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13974777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaazaaa/pseuds/Lets_change_fate
Summary: Takao Kazunari has a soulanimal of a Red-tailed Hawk and an exceptional eyesight. With that he can easily figure out people's soulanimal, based on their traits and qualities.But then he met Midorima Shintaro. And Takao hasn't seen anyone like him before.Midorima is an enigma. One big green-haired riddle Takao is thrilled to figure out.Although, he will find out that reading Midorima wouldn't be as easy as he had expected. And on his way of cracking the mystery that is Midorima Shintaro, Takao might be finding more than he is looking for.(Set directly after "Bear with me")





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be an one-shot, but it got a little out of hand. Be prepared for multiple short chapters. 
> 
> Sorry for taking so long, but here is the third part of the 'claws and paws' universe.  
> Yes, reading the first two parts before this one is recommended (there are little spoilers in this story about the story 'Bear with me', as it is set directly after it).  
> But no, I won't stop you if you want to read this before the other two, I only want you to enjoy the story! 
> 
> Please feel free to comment! I love to read your thoughts. 
> 
> Note: 'Megane' is a Japanese term, used for bespectacled people. It literally means 'glasses'. As Midorima wears glasses, I sometimes use this term for him.

The first thought that comes to Takao's mind is how-did-I-get-so-wasted. The second, how-did-I-get-here, comes directly after he opens his eyes and finds himself in an unfamiliar room.

But with waking up, his foggy mind also clears up a little. Takao remembers going to the surprise party, hanging mostly with Midorima. He knows that they were making preparations. Mostly the decorations, because he and Midorima were shunned out of the kitchen directly by Kagami after they almost let the half-done cake fall on the ground.

After the birthday boy actually arrived, the cake (which was the best cake Takao had eaten for years, he need to make a mental note ask Kagami for the recipe) was divided. But for Takao the party got really fun when the booze got out. After more guys with more booze joined, the party actually got amazing. He made friends with the teammates from Murasakibara, but then something happened.

Takao tries to put his finger on it, though his memory gets blurrier after he had his sixth glass of alcohol. That might as well be the reason for waking up at an unknown place.

It is getting light outside, that much Takao can see by the little light coming through the blinds before the window. But the rest of the room is dark. It takes him a little longer to adjust to the dark to realize that he is laying on a futon in a room stuffed with extraordinary things, stuffed on shelfs and piled on the ground.

Takao groans while sitting up, his mouth taste like a desert and his tongue feels as rough as sand paper. He needs water. There must be a kitchen in this house where he can find some.

He gets on his feet and turns around, but then he sees the giant bed on his left. Takao blinks in the dark to let his eyes adjust better and takes in a sharp breath when he sees him. Sleeping in the bed beside him is Midorima Shintaro. He is in Shin-chan's room.

Midorima suddenly stirs in his sleep and turns around, now facing Takao. Takao keeps standing still, not daring to move a muscle, afraid to wake his friend.

He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to remember anything else from last night. Somehow the drunken-him succeeded in something sober-him wanted for a long time: to get invited in Midorima's house. Although, now he is here, he can't even remember how he did it.

Sudden chills flash through his body. Oh no, he hasn't said anything to Midorima's about his feelings, did he? Honestly, Takao wasn't even sure himself of what he was thinking or feeling. But lately he'd discovered that the pull he felt towards his friend wasn't just purely platonic.

It had started that way. When he first tried to be friends with the other guy, he was just genuinely interested in him. Not only because he is different than the most people, with the lucky items he brings around every day, but also because he was a complete mystery for Takao.

Takao is very good in observing people. He assumes that it's mostly due to his soulanimal; the Red-tailed Hawk, which has an exceptional eyesight. Lately his observations skills even reached the level of being able to figure out people's soulanimal, based on their traits and qualities.

He could correctly deduce everyone's soulmate, but not Shin-chan's. Even when he knows Midorima for almost a year, starting when they joined the same basketball club, he still doesn't have a clue. And it isn't like Takao doesn't pay attention on him. Quite the opposite.

He already learned a lot about Midorima, only by looking. Like how he is mostly very reserved and acts high and mighty around his teammates. Takao has seen how important Midorima's pride is for him, but he also saw the greenhead letting go of that in favour of playing with his teammates for the win.

Takao started respecting him, after he has seen how much Midorima stayed after practice to train more. After that, he started hanging around Midorima more and more and learned that the greenhead was not only book-smart, but also had a good insight about things and people. Even when the other would strongly deny it every time, Takao knows that he likes to help people. And after getting through that cold exterior that the other had built up, Takao actually found an insecure guy, who isn't as socially skilled as most of the people.

Getting to know every aspect of Midorima made Takao feel closer to him, but at the same time he never got closer to answering the question of what the other's soulanimal is.

Takao opens his eyes when he feels calmer again and manages to sit down on top of his futon without any sound. Those movements made him aware of the familiar strain in his muscles. The same feeling he normally has after changing into his bird. Did he change into his soulanimal at the party? He can't remember doing something like that. But the feelings make him undoubtedly sure.

With another groan he places his head in his hands. He has made a joke out of himself, didn't he? Then he immediately looks to the side, to check on his friend. Midorima still seems asleep, in the dark Takao can only see the outlines of his face, but his eyes look closed.

Wait. But then Midorima has seen him in his soulanimal too. He has never changed in front his friend before. And now he doesn't know Midorima's reaction! Does he despise him, now he knows that he has a bird-like soulanimal?

Takao knows that bird-like soulanimals are not common, and because of that, people usually have prejudices about them. About them not being a mammal, being further away from the human nature. Some people called it a 'lower class of soulanimals'.

Even if that was true, they weren't weaker than other mammal-soulanimals. Bird-like soulanimals weren't shunned as much as cold blooded soulanimals, but Takao had heard enough foul names about the like of him. Names of which 'birdbrain' was just the most innocent.

Maybe it had something to do with jealousy. After all, having a bird-like soulanimal gave him the possibility to fly. And Takao admits. When he flies, high above everything, he doesn't mind being in the so called 'lower class' of soulanimals. Because being able to fly was one of the best things in his life.

However, it still made him insecure. Shin-chan wouldn't judge him because of it, right? Takao really doesn't know. His doubt is mainly because he doesn't know what Midorima thinks about other soulanimals at all.

Soulanimals are always a big taboo around that guy. Takao tried to talk about it once, just generally, but he was shut down by Midorima right the moment he started. After that Takao kept observing and saw that Midorima always ignores or averts the subject. He accepted it as one of the greenhead's silly traits, but now he wished that he had asked him a little more about it.

"Takao?" A low voice sounds from besides him.

Oh shit, he woke Shin-chan up. The bed lamp next to him is lit, and warm light spreads over the room. Takao blinks for a moment against the sudden light. Then he looks up from his hands, still sitting on his futon with his legs drawn up.

His view is something that could've come right out his dream. Midorima is sitting halfway up, leaning on his elbow. His glasses are laying on the table next to the bed, so he is scowling to see. His green hair is standing a bit up to the sides and without his glasses, the light falls directly on the man's eyelashes.

Takao is staring, but within seconds Midorima gets his glasses. He quickly tries to hide that he was admiring the greenhead, but he must still be looking stupid, because Midorima gets a worried look in his eyes when he sees him.

"Are you going to be sick?"

Takao feels something in his abdomen stirring from hearing that croaky voice, still thick with sleep. But he is sure that it isn't from any sickness.

"Ah-." His voice stocks and he has to clear his throat again to speak. "No, I think I am okay." He then whispers.

Midorima doesn't look convinced. "If you are going to throw up..." He starts threatening, but Takao already shakes his head.

"No, no. I'm fine really. Sorry for waking you." He says while laying down to show that he really is okay. Midorima then grumbles something. And tells him where he can find the toilet to be sure. After that he puts his glasses back on the little table and turns off the light.

Takao tries to listen if he hears the other fall in sleep, but Midorima still sounds awake.

"Hey Shin-chan." He says softly after a minute.

Midorima doesn't answer but Takao knows he is listening.

"Thanks, for looking after me. I might have gone too far with the drinking and everything. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."

If he had, then right now was the perfect opportunity for his friend to tell him. But after Takao falls silent, the other doesn't say anything for a long time.

Just as Takao is starting to get worried that Midorima is actually angry, he hears almost too low to hear. "Go to sleep Takao."

It isn't a confirmation nor a denial, but it reassures Takao enough to fall asleep again.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning is awkward and slow. Midorima's mother is home, and she loves to ask Takao a billion questions in the morning. Or morning for him, but probably already afternoon for the woman.

Midorima doesn't give him any indication that he would help him with any of the questions and is just drinking tea like it was a normal morning.

After Takao had told her his name, she got all enthusiastic. Apparently Midorima had spoken of him before. That knowledge give Takao a small smile. Next, he got questions about what he liked and how he was doing at school. Only after that she started about the party of yesterday, not mentioning his sudden crashing at their place.

"Did you have a good time Shintaro?" She asks her son.

Midorima looks at Takao with a knowing gaze. "It was okay."

Takao doesn't know if that gaze was for something he did or didn't. At least Midorima doesn't mention anything out of the ordinary.

"And it was kind of Akashi to give us a lift home." The greenhead continues while nipping at his tea.

"Ah yes, it is a shame that you two got to different schools, you used to get along so well. Now I never see him around." Midorima's mother says in earnest. "But I'm happy to see that you made such a nice friend." She concluded more lightly.

Takao tries to hide his grin when listening, but soon after that the woman excuses herself and lets the two alone in the living room. The raven-haired boy feels green eyes boring into him the moment she leaves.

"Ah, I should go home?" Takao meant it to be a statement, but it got out as a question. Midorima nods and takes his last sip of his tea before putting it on the table.

"I mean, my parents must wonder where I am." Takao continues with a chuckle.

"You texted them yesterday that you would stay with me over night." Midorima says, looking at him with a frown.

"I did?" Takao says surprised, which makes Midorima look more puzzled. Oh, he has forgotten a lot, didn't he?

"Exactly how much do you remember from yesterday, Takao?" The megane asks accusingly.

Takao winches. "Ah about that..." he doesn't know where to start. But one thing was clear. "I turned last night, didn't I? I can feel it in my muscles."

"You don't remember what happened with the gorilla then?"

"Gorilla?" Takao starts grinning, but then something vaguely comes to mind. Didn't he have some kind of bet with someone last night? "No, but it sounds fun already." He says.

Midorima scoffs and stands from the seat he was in. "If you want to describe almost dying by the hands of a gorilla fun."

"What? How did that happen?" Takao says alarmed. Was Shin-chan exaggerating?

Midorima gives him a tired look and walks with him back to his room, so they can fetch the last of Takao's stuff he had brought with him. But Takao doesn't want to let it slide. They are walking up the stairs when he says. "Shin-chan, I am sorry I forgot, but you've got to tell me what happened. Did I do something?"

It is only when they are in Midorima's room and the door closes after them that the greenhead looks back at him. Takao directly takes a step back from the dark expression on the other's face. 

"You were acting like a fool and challenged a man twice your size to play catch. But then you changed in your soulanimal and got almost pulverized." Midorima is fuming, but Takao isn't really scared of his friend. Because only one thing comes on his mind.

"But I didn't get caught and I don't have a scratch on me. Was that thanks to you?" He asks carefully.

Midorima gives him an angry scowl but then changes the subject. "Just because you apparently can fly, doesn't mean that you can just fly around, stupid." He states while crossing his arms before his chest.

Takao knows Midorima good enough to know that, according to his reaction, he at least had something to do with his saving. But the words that were said last make him feel cold as ice.

A shiver runs over his body. Of course Midorima wouldn't like it that he has a bird-like soulanimal. Almost all the people he knows react like this at first.

He opens his mouth to reply, but for once the words are not coming. Instead he starts looking down with his shoulders hunched. The silence in the room is heavy, and without Takao's lightly chatting to stir their conversation back to good, the silence stays.

In the end all he can say is "I'm sorry."

He looks back into the green eyes, that are still locked on his face, to show Midorima he is serious when he continues. "I won't be doing it again."

He won't be changing in his bird in front of his friend anymore.

"Good." Midorima says with a huff, letting his arms fall back to his sides.

That one word is small, but it feels heavy when Takao hears it out of Midorima's mouth. He clenches his fists to hide his trembling fingers. The smile on his face isn't real, but he hopes Midorima doesn't see it. "Then I will go home." He says after taking his bag from the floor next to the futon.

"Thanks for looking after me even when I was such a bother." He doesn't look at his friend's face to see the confirmation, but heads downstairs.

He hears Midorima following him after a second.

"Takao, wait." His voice is unsure, something Takao doesn't hear often. The raven-haired boy looks back with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"What is it, Shin-chan?" Did he see through his façade?

Midorima purses his lips, ready to say something, but there is doubt in his eyes. Takao waits without breathing, afraid that Midorima would point him on his unusual behaviour. But the other seems to let whatever he was thinking about go with a shake of his head. Instead he tells him.

"I can bring you to the station if you want." They went right out of school to the station yesterday, therefore his rickshaw is still there.

Takao lets out a relieved sigh. It is a peace offering, Shin-chan's way of getting on good terms again after something like an argument.

But right now Takao doesn't think he can keep up his smiling face, and he had already bothered his friend enough.

"Ah no, I will just go straight home." He mumbles, while putting on his shoes. "I can pick the rickshaw up tomorrow or something."

When he is completely ready with his jacket and shoes, he walks to the door, which Midorima opens for him. There is still a slight scowl between the megane's brows, one Takao recognizes as Midorima overthinking something.

"Hey, off the record. I don't blame you for reacting like that after finding out about my soulanimal. Trust me, people told me a lot worse after they found out about my Red-tailed Hawk." Takao says reassuringly.

He looks back at his friend, but instead of him looking more at ease, Takao sees a shocked expression on Midorima's face. Oh, maybe he'd misinterpreted everything. Maybe the greenhead wasn't thinking about that anymore. Well now he feels really stupid.

But he can't take his words back. Instead of trying to talk himself out of it or waving it off like a misunderstanding, Takao chooses to just leave before Midorima can respond.

"See you, Shin-chan!" Takao waves and walks with a rapid pace to the main street.

When he is far away enough from Midorima's house and sure the other didn't follow him, he stops.

Slowly Takao leans against a fence on the side of the pavement. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

After a moment he lets his head fall backwards and opens his grey eyes to look at the sky. It is very cloudy today, not a streak of blue is visible. Perfect weather to fly undetected in daytime.

However, he doesn't feel like flying after what just happened.

Takao clicks his tongue disappointedly and resumes his way home on foot.

It takes him five times longer to get home on foot than when he had traveled by air. Takao tries to act normally when he arrives and apologizes for the unannounced sleepover.

The rest of the day passes quickly once he gets back to his studies and later to his favourite series. But one thing wouldn't leave his thoughts.

Would their friendship change now Midorima knows?


	3. Chapter 3

Takao still drives his rickshaw to Midorima's house Monday morning. There he acts like nothing happened before and plays rock-scissor-paper for who would ride the bike, which he loses. Unsurprisingly.

They fall back to their usual bickering fast enough, with Takao laughing at Midorima the moment he notices the pink hair clip (his lucky item of the day) in his hair. They arrive five minutes later than usual mostly because of him not being able to ride the bike while laughing his ass off.

Midorima only gives him cold look after they arrive at the school and tells him to just shut up already.

The day goes by fast enough and Takao feels relieved that his interactions with Shin-chan hadn't changed after him exposing his soulanimal.

They don't speak about it again after that. Something Takao had expected. After all, it is still Midorima, and Midorima rarely speaks about soulanimals, at least never voluntarily. Takao isn't going to bring it up again either.

In the days that follow, Takao gets more at ease. And a week later he doesn't only act, but actually feels like nothing major happened. After all, Midorima never makes an issue out of his soulanimal again. So it seems like his friend had accepted it, thankfully.

Takao does try to find out more about what happened at the night of the party later. After it was clear that Midorima wouldn't tell him anything more, he turned to the others from the party.

What helped was that he was placed in a group-app with the other Generation of Miracles and their friends for a basketball game. Thanks to that he has all their numbers now.

He chooses to text Kise first, because he talked with the blonde before and they got along pretty well. But he finds out soon that Kise knows maybe even less of the evening than he does, and can't help.

The next person that comes into Takao's mind is Murasakibara, that guy didn't drink that much, at least as far as Takao remembers. But last minute he decides against it and texts Himuro in his place. Himuro somehow feels a little more approachable.

Takao had to chuckle in himself after that thought. After all, his best friend was Midorima, talking about unapproachable.

Anyhow. Himuro had more interesting news. Apparently, his suspicion about Midorima helping him out that night was correct. But it surprised Takao to hear that Midorima had scared the gorilla away on his own. Damn. He wished he could remember it.

Himuro told him also about him changing back human in the middle of the room, naked. And how Midorima had shut him in the bathroom until he had all his clothes on again. Reading that part made Takao blush all the way to the tips of his ears of embarrassment.

He really had made a fool of himself, like Midorima said. Maybe he should apologize for that day again. But as the days continue, Takao simply forgets to do that.

Something that stays on his mind, though, is the fact that Midorima had managed to scare a gorilla away single-handedly. Takao had given up on finding out Midorima's soulanimal. But this new piece of information made his mind whirl again.

Soon after that, Takao starts observing Midorima again for his investigation. Not that his friends would notice any difference. Takao really tries to be inconspicuous, but he knows that Midorima had caught a few of his stealthy glances before.

If Takao was doubting about his feelings for his friend before, then there isn't any uncertainty left anymore. After the biggest thing in his head -the issue about how Midorima would react on his soulanimal- was resolved, it seemed like his mind had broken down a wall. And the emotions that were first hidden safely behind the reservations of his mind, were now flooding.

And it becomes more evident every day.

 

——

 

"Takao, you should be extra careful today, Scorpio was placed last according to Oha Asa's horoscope." Is the first thing Midorima says to him a Thursday morning a few weeks later. Takao, while waiting before his home with the rickshaw, looks up when he hears his friends voice.

"Oh really," Takao smirks, "Thanks for the warning. What is my lucky item then?" He doesn't really believe in these predictions, but Midorima is obsessed with it. Takao couldn't help to ask him about it. It always makes the megane talk more passionate and serious. Which was nice to see.

The green haired guy pushes his glasses right on his nose. He looks a little flustered for some reason Takao doesn't understand until he is handed over a plastic sunflower.

"I happened to have this laying around in my room, your lucky item is a sunflower. A real one would probably work even better." Midorima states matter-of-factly, but Takao still sees the little tint on his cheeks.

"Aw, Shin-chan. So, you really do care about me! You even give me flowers." He says in a joking manner. But the words are real. Does Midorima know how hard his heart is beating now?

"Shut up, I just don't want our basketball team to be one man short during the practice match tomorrow, only because you managed to break your leg." Midorima tells him harsh while he goes to sit in the rickshaw.

"Whatever you say Shin-chan." Takao agrees. He doesn't mind that Midorima wouldn't want to admit it. His day is already perfect.

Later when they arrive at school Takao realizes that he didn't see Midorima walking around with a lucky item.

"Say Shin-chan, what's your lucky item today?" Takao asks while putting the flower in his bag, so it sticks out of it but doesn't fall out.

That's when Midorima reaches into his pocket and takes a little silver necklace out of it. The little pendant is shaped like a flying bird.

Takao's eyes go wide. "Wow, that's really pretty! But do you dislike the bird? Is that why you don't wear it?" He asks genuinely interested.

"What? No, don't be ridiculous. This pendant is my mother's, and I don't want to damage it in any way. That's the only reason I'm not wearing it." Midorima scoffs.

"Oh right." Takao nods, that sounds logical.

A little later Takao sees Midorima giving him looks. He just wants to ask him what's up when the other speaks.

"I don't dislike birds." Is all he says. But the double meaning isn't missed by Takao.

He looks at Midorima with wonder for a moment, but then he gives him an honest-to-god happy smile. "Understood!" He chants.

There must be something wrong with Oha Asa's prediction. Today is his luckiest day in weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got a little longer than the previous chapters. Well, I couldn't cut it somewhere so here is the whole part in one go~.  
> <3 Again thank you guys so much for the lovely comments and kudos.

He should have seen it coming. Takao should have learned by now that his soulanimal can't stay a secret forever.

After all, he himself is the one who always is able to guess others' soulanimals. It was only a matter of time before someone would find out about his. Someone that isn't like Shin-chan, someone who would tell others about it. Maybe because they would like to be the center of the attention for a moment. Or maybe just in a passing.

That someone emerged in the form of a little blonde girl - with a soulanimal of an antelope if Takao is correct - from his class. This girl appeared to be friends with some of Takao's old classmates. That classmate used to be a good friend of his, but they fell out of contact the moment they both went to different schools.

His old friend still likes to tell people that he had a friend with a guy that had brid-like soulanimal, though. And through him, the girl found out soon enough that the descriptions of this guy applied to one of her classmates. But Takao himself would only find out about this much later.

They just had a history course about causality when it happens. Takao generally likes history, the old stories were somehow oddly fascinating. Also, the teacher was good in conveying his enthusiasm to his students. Even in the lunchbreak after the lesson, Takao's classmates were still talking about causality. Usually Takao would have joined them, but today he felt more like joining Midorima.

He really feels like he is understanding Midorima more and he thinks that the other might actually enjoy his company too, even though he knows that the greenhead wouldn't tell him that.

Today Takao took his magazine from 'Basketball' monthly' with him. They are both reading through it, commenting on it now and then, when Takao starts picking up his name in the conversation from other classmates next to them.

"Maybe you should just ask him yourself then." Takao hears a boy telling the little blonde girl.

He looks up in time to see the girl, who is talking to two other girls and a boy, shaking her head violently while glancing his way. Her eyes widen and she gets a distressed expression on her face the moment they make eye contact. The boy, who has his black hair neatly brushed to one side, now sees that they got Takao's attention, so he decides to do it himself.

"Yo Takao, what do you think? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" The boy asks in his direction.

Takao raises one brow at the sudden question. "Hah? I wouldn't know." He says while leaning back and balancing his chair on two legs. The boy walks closer to his desk, followed by a long girl with deep green eyes and a girl with short black hair and thick rimmed glasses. Takao sees that the blonde girl keeps her distance and watches everything with a troubled expression.

"You don't? But aren't you familiar with these things?" The boy pauses and looks at him with honest interest. "You know, since you are a bird?"

He loses his balance on the chair and falls back forward on the four legs. His adrenaline spikes and that isn't because he almost fell off his chair. "How- eh, what?" He stammers, not succeeding in hiding his shock in his voice.

The boy gets a keen expression on his face and the green-eyed girl murmurs to the other girl. "So she was right!"

Takao, totally overwhelmed by the sudden outing of his animal, knows that he has to say something. He can still deny it, or just keep it light. But his heart is beating loudly and his thoughts are filled with alarmed questions, racing in overdrive. They know. Who else knows? How did they know? What will happen now? Are they going to get ugly about it?

Suddenly he hears Midorima next to him speaking up, breaking through his ruminations. "It is the egg of course." He says in a low voice. After a quick glance to Takao, the greenhead looks around with an expression that speaks of annoyance.

"Only a grade-schooler doesn't know that there were other animals that were able to lay eggs before the chicken even existed. Therefore, the chicken only evolved after the concept of the egg already existed."

Now the attention is shifted to Midorima, the girl with the glasses gives him an arrogant scoff after being compared to a grade-schooler. The brunette keeps silent, but the guy even seems to genuinely consider the answer that was given. However, the greenhead averts his gaze back to the magazine before him, ignoring them again while murmuring something that sounds like "It's a stupid question anyways."

Takao stares at him. He doesn't know if Midorima's answer is the solution, but it sounds brilliant. "Shin-chan you are so smart." He says happily, easily sliding back in his familiar care-free attitude now his first shock is processed. And also, having Midorima answering his question, backing him up, makes him feel more confident.

"Aaah! Thanks for the answer!" Suddenly the little girl with the blond hair buts in before the others try to pry more into their business. "That's all we wanted to know, right guys?" She asks while pushing her friends away from them.

The boy still looks like he is thinking about it while the girl tugs him away at his sleeve. However, the black-haired girl gives them a pissed look and says loudly "As if it is that easy, of course that cannot be the answer." Without waiting for a response, she turns around with a huff and follows her friends to the other side of the classroom again. The blond girl looks back one more time, giving Takao an apologetic smile, but then starts talking with the boy again.

Takao heaves out a big sigh when he is sure that are staying away. He put his hands on the table, trying to stop them from shaking. Damn adrenaline.

Meanwhile Midorima just turns another page in the magazine, acting like nothing has happened. Takao smiles when he sees him looking focussed on an article about a shooting guard in America.

"Thanks for the help Shin-chan" He says softly while getting his lunch out of his bag.

"I wasn't helping you. I just couldn't bear to hear another stupid discussion about causality again, that's all" Midorima says grumpy, but Takao still gives him a knowing grin.

"No, that would totally ruin our lunchbreak." He says, playing solemnly.

Midorima gives him a look. "I was being serious." He tells him, which causes Takao to chuckle, breaking his played modestly.

"Yeah, Yeah. So, what did you bring with you today? Do you have that amazing rice dish you had the other day again?" He asks.

Immediately Midorima answers with "No you can't have my lunch, you have your own." That makes Takao laugh even more. "How did you know I was after that?" He crackles.

The greenhead gives him a sideways look and has a tiny smile himself. "You are predictable." Takao makes a mocking-hurt face, placing his hand over his heart. "Ow, Shin-chan, that hurts. So I am boring now?" He jokes.

Midorima coughs and looks away to hide his amusement. "I wouldn't say that predictable is the equivalent of boring."

"Mm." Takao hums in agreement while getting the first bite in his own lunch. He looks back at his classmates and sees that there are now more people talking with the first group, giving glances his way.

He turns his back to them and focuses his attention back on Midorima and the magazine. The rest of the lunchbreak they are left alone, but Takao still sees and hears the people talking. It makes his happy mood required by talking with his friend, disappear gradually.

"Hey Shin-chan," He starts eventually when the break is almost over. Midorima looks up from his phone and looks at him expectantly. Takao isn't sure how to ask, but after a moment he says faintly. "Did people ever start acting weird to you after finding out your soulanimal?"

Midorima looks for a second at their classmates and then to out of the window. The reply Takao gets is soft, but has more information about the subject than Takao ever got out of Midorima before.

"I always made sure they never did."

The bell rings shortly after that, and Takao has to get back to his seat on the other side of the classroom. Midorima's answer keeps echoing in Takao's mind the rest of the day, though.

When the whispers behind his back start, he first wishes he had done the same. But then again, with his easy-going manner, he would've outed himself eventually. On the plus side, if everyone already knows about it, he doesn't have to hide it anymore.

In the days that follow, Takao quickly realizes that gossip is even faster than the internet connection in his bedroom. When the basketball practice starts and Midorima and Takao walk to the lockers to change, they are joined up by their teammates; Miyaji Kiyoshi, Kimura Shinsuke and Otsubo Taisuke.

"Ey Takao, please tell me the rumours are true!" Miyaji says while throwing his arm around Takao's shoulders. "Tell me that you actually have a soulanimal that hunts rodents. Are you able to catch Kimura?"

Before Takao can reply, Kimura starts yelling. "How often do I have to tell you that I am NOT a rodent, god damn it. It is a Tasmanian devil. I don't even look anything like a squirrel."

They all walk to the changing room while the conversation continues. The room is at the end of the corridor, with individual lockers all against the walls. In the middle of the room stands a wooden couch and the end of the room leads to a smaller corridor that ends in the showers.

Only two other Shuutoku members are there, already halfway changed, and they greet each other when they come in.

Takao opens his own locker and starts changing when he hears Otsubo, their captain, join in. "I thought you were just as small as a squirrel though."

"What?! No! You clearly can't see straight. I am at least two feet tall!" Kimura says hotly, but then sees the way their captain is looking at him and realizes that they are joking. That guy is almost as easy to tease as Shin-chan, Takao thinks.

Kimura himself can also laugh about it soon, but then he says with his chin high in the air. "I dare to say that I'm even bigger than Takao's bird with spread out wings, though."

Takao looks up from where he is tying his shoes. It's the first time that people are talking casually about his bird and he realizes that it is all okay. He doesn't mind it.

"Don't be ridiculous, the hawk will be bigger." Midorima scoffs but then promptly averts his head from them all, as if he is surprised himself that he answered in the conversation and tries to get out of it again.

"You don't know that! Maybe not." Kimura says loudly and now even Takao gets curious. He raises up, so he stands in front of Kimura, with only the bench between them. He has to look up a little but that doesn't make him look less confident.

"You really want to compare?" He grins, already looking forward to the competition.

Kimura clenches his fist proudly before his chest. "Hell yes I do." And he directly puts his words into deeds by changing into his soulanimal. Within seconds a Tasmanian devil jumps onto the couch before Takao.

At first the animal, with the size of a small dog, looks cute with its soft black fur and pointy snout, but then it opens his mouth full with pointy teeth and lets out an extremely unpleasant, demanding yell.

Takao looks around for a moment. Midorima is still standing with his back to the spectacle, grumbling somewhat while rummaging in his bag. Otsubo leans with his back against the lockers, wearing a patient smile. Miyaji is laughing already, clapping his hands in excitement when he sees the little devil and the other two Shuutoku members, although already changed, still hang around at their lockers.

These are the people Takao trusts. However, he unexpectedly still hesitates. There is no denying it anymore if he changes in his bird now. Also, didn't he tell Midorima that he wouldn't change anymore in front of him? Or is it okay now, after Midorima told him that he didn't dislike birds?

Otsubo seems to pick up his sudden mood drop and steps closer. "You know you don't have to change, right. It is okay if you want to keep it for yourself." He says and gives the Tasmanian devil a stern gaze after it lets out another impatient scream.

Takao looks back to Midorima, who apparently was already watching him. He meets his gaze with his own, unsure whether he should let it go or change. However, the megane then gives him a reassuring nod. And directly his mind is made up, as if Takao needed that encouragement.

He gets a smirk on his face. "Oh no, prepare to be mindblown." Takao says while taking of his shirt and pants, more isn't needed and with a last smug expression he changes into his bird.

It doesn't matter how often Takao changes, he still can't describe the feeling. However, about the moment he can move his wings and let the air glide through his feathers, he could write essays. It feels amazing.

The guys, minus Midorima of course, are cheering on him when he flies up from the ground. He makes an extra round in the room and then proudly settles at the couch before the Midorima's locker, keeping his eyes on his friend while showing off his feathers. Is Midorima watching too?

The Tasmanian devil sitting beside him looks dejected when he sees that the hawk in his total wing span is only slightly bigger than he is and starts pouting. But the guys don't pay attention to him anymore.

"That's really cool, don't you think Midorima?" Miyagji says loudly, trying to include Midorima more in the conversation. "Have you ever seen a bird-like soulanimal in your Generation of Miracles?"

Midorima finally closes his locker, putting his lucky item (scented hand crème) for the time being on the couch next to the bird. Takao knows Midorima has seen him before but still puffs his feathers a little to look bigger. He looks up at his friend expectantly, bobbing his head to the side.

"I don't see how that is any of your concern." Midorima says while giving Miyagij an unimpressed glance. "However, Takao's wingspan is larger than Kimura is, case is settled then." He concludes. "No more need for this foolishness."

The Tasmanian devil doesn't agree with him and lets out a growl baring his teeth. The red-tailed Hawk doesn't like the way the devil is growling to his friend and lets out a threatening screech himself, while beating his wings.

Before something else can happen, Otsubo steps in and physically puts his arms between the animals. "Stop it you two." He says with the authority of a captain.

Takao is up in the air before the hand can reach him and automatically gets to the place that feels the most secure; the lockers behind Midorima. Kimura however changes on the spot back into his human form, still giving Takao a last glare before he puts on his cloths.

"Now now, you don't have to be a sore loser." Miyagji says while pushing Kimura playfully on his shoulder. Kimura however still grumbles. "He might be larger, but that doesn't mean he would be able to get me!" He says while quickly tying on his shoes.

Miyagji then puts a hand on the same shoulder. "Face it, you now officially have the weakest soulanimal of the five of us." He says jokingly. Which results into a rough shove into his chest.

It is a bit blunt, but with Miygji having a Dingo, Otsubo a Bison and Midorima a still unknown but obviously powerful soulanimal, the statement is correct. Takao glances to Midorima to see how he reacts on Miyagji's statement. The greenhead frowns and starts checking the tape on his fingers with a tired sigh.

"I'm still better than you in basketball." Kimura eventually states challenging when the shoving match is getting nowhere.

"Hah? Try me then." Miyaji immediately responds and within seconds they both leave the locker room, quickly followed by the other two members who like to see how the next standoff ends.

Ostubo shakes his head tiredly and follows them in a slower pace. "Make sure you two aren't late." He tells Midorima and Takao before he walks out of the door.

Which suddenly makes the room empty, except form Takao and Midorima. The hawk looks down from his high place and contemplates going down when he hears Midorima talking in a serious voice.

"They won't stop talking about it just because you confirmed it, you know that right." He says while looking up at the bird and Takao knows that he is referring to his soulanimal.

Takao clicks with his beck in acknowledgment and then soars down to the bench again. He just wants to change back when he notices Midorima observing him. The green eyes are looking at him with a spark of interest that Takao's fine gaze doesn't miss. Suddenly Takao remembers.

"I expected your tail to be redder, after I heard what the name of your bird was." Midorima tells him in a neutral voice. Takao blinks up at him. His tail? He turns his head around and looks at his feathers. Then looks back at his friend while lowering his head, letting out a low indignant crackling.

"You don't need to look at me like that." Midorima says while crossing his arms. "I'm not saying that it is a bad thing."

The Hawk directly perks up again, bobbing his head to the side to observe the greenhead. Was that an attempt for telling him that his feathers are nice?

"Shouldn't you be changing back by now before someone else walks in?" Midorima then says.

The bird folds his wings less close to his body and purposely goes to grooming them, showing off how little he minds.

Midorima sighs and rolls his eyes. "Fine, but I am not going to wait until you groomed all your feathers to your liking."

Takao quickly looks up. Shin-chan was waiting for him? Immediately he changes back, putting his basketball uniform on faster than he did before.

"Okay, okay. I'll hurry up already." He says as soon as he can speak again.

Midorima looks away and already starts walking to the door. "You should, or else we really are going to be late." He says curtly.

Takao catches up to him in the corridor. "Say Shin-chan, how did you know that my hawk was bigger than the Tasmanian devil?"

Midorima glances at him and pushes his glasses right. "That's common sense." He says, but Takao knows that it didn't differ that much, he was only slightly bigger.

Suddenly he remembers the party. Did the other remember how big he was from that? Had Midorima really paid that much attention to him?

"Ah I see. Well maybe if you ask very nicely I would lend a feather of mine in case it becomes a lucky item someday." He says while looking at Midorima, trying to evoke a reaction.

And his friend never cases to disappoint him, but the reaction is even bigger than Takao expected. "D- don't be absurd! A hawk feather would never be a lucky item." Midorima sputters while flushing red at the thought.

Takao's eyes widen at the sight of Midorima's blush and he involuntary starts heating up himself. Midorima then abruptly stops walking.

"My lucky item is still in the locker room." The greenhead says shocked and quickly walks back without another word.

Takao stays behind, looking after his friend in surprise. He can't remember the last time Midorima had EVER forgotten his item. The megane quickly returns and they walk the last meters to the court in silence.

Their teammates greet them when they arrive at the court. The practice goes as usual and when Takao sometimes fumbles with the ball and passes his passes not as perfectly as always, it is only because he has an off day. Not because he is distracted or anything.

Certainly not because he keeps remembering that adorable flushed look on Midorima's face. No, it was just his off day.


	5. Chapter 5

It's a week later, after everyone heard about Takao's soulanimal, and things were getting back to normal. Or that was what it seemed until now.

Takao gets an ominous feeling when he drives up at Midorima's house but doesn't see him there. Normally the other already waits for him at the door, or before the window if it rains.

After ringing the doorbell, he hears from Midorima's mother that her son already left earlier in a hurry. Takao thanks her and walks back to his rickshaw while getting his phone. He dials Midorima's number, but it goes directly to voicemail. With a sigh he gets back on his bike. What's gotten into Shin-chan? Why wouldn't he text him if he went to school without him.

As if on cue, right that moment his phone buzzes with a text. It is, not surprisingly, from Midorima. Takao opens it, his frown getting deeper while reading. It only says that he is at the stores and if Takao could pick him up there. That is a little off the route. With this pace they will be late to school. Takao puts his phone away and turns his rickshaw around. Let's go there at a higher speed then.

When he arrives at the location in Midorima's text, Takao finds his friend looking in distress. The tall guy is standing on the other side of the street, looking around and keeping something silver in his hands.

"Shin-chan~" Takao chants to get his attention. He stops on the side of the pavement and beckons him to get over to his side.

Midorima sees him but doesn't directly crosses the street. Instead the greenhead looks three times before he deems it safe to walk to Takao.

"Hey, why did I have to pick you up all the way over here?" Takao asks when he arrives on his side of the road.

Midorima bows his head slightly. "My apologies, I had to find my lucky item for today. I didn't have anything like it at home. However, I couldn't even find it in the stores." Takao is surprised to hear excuses from his friend. Midorima doesn't do excuses for something little like this.

A little worried he looks at him and then at the item in the other's hands. "Then what do you have with now?" He asks carefully while gesturing to it.

Midorima looks down at his hands and shows Takao a two-sided round mirror with a silver standard. "My lucky item is a silver hand mirror, but this was the closest thing related to a hand mirror that I could find." Midorima grips the mirror tightly, as if it could disappear if he doesn't hold it so close. "But this isn't good enough, especially since Cancer placed last today in Oha asa's ranking."

Takao looks at the item, it is just a silver mirror. "It looks like a good one to me, though."

Midorima sighs and looks away. "I need the best of luck on this day, it needs to be perfect." He says softly and Takao sees how much it bothers him.

"Well, how about we skip the rock-scissor-paper game for today and you get in. We are late already, so let's get going." For a moment it looks like Midorima is about to object but then he nods and gets in.

"Just hold on to your substitute-lucky item for now then, maybe we can look for a hand mirror after basketball practice." Takao tells him when he starts riding the bike. He hears Midorima hum in approval but otherwise the megane stays silent. Takao lets him be and tries to get at school in time.

They arrive ten minutes late. Unfortunately, their first teacher is in a bad mood, and they get detention. Midorima stays tense the rest of the lesson, touching the mirror on his desk frequently with his free hand.

Takao really doesn't believe in the fortunes of Oha asa, but when they subsequently get a pop quiz in the next lesson and a boring substitute teacher for their art class, he can see how Midorima can believe in his bad luck. When they finally got their lunch break, Midorima is fumbling with his fingers on his phone, searching the internet for a silver hand mirror.

"Shin-chan, let's go outside." Takao says, trying to distract his friend from his superstition. After all, they can't get a hand mirror when they still are at school.

"It is too cold." Midorima says dismissively. When Takao looks out of the window he sees the sun shining brightly, with a few students sitting outside enjoying the weather.

"Hmm, is it." He says while taking place next to his friend and putting his lunch onto the table. "That's a shame."

His lunch of today is nothing special and Takao gets quickly distracted by the people around him. His eyes fall on two students from another class and he automatically starts observing their traits. The long blond boy is obviously flirting with the shorthaired girl, who looks a little embarrassed but not uncomfortable.

There is something in the way the boy placed his hand on the wall aside the girls head (hand open and fingers bent inwards, but not totally), and how he is hunching forward with a cashier smirk that screams 'feline'. If Takao could make an educated guess, he'd say that guy has a cheetah as soulanimal.

The girl on the other hand is definitely something smaller. The way she is keeping her hands before her chest, balled in fists, and how she keeps changing the angle of her head to look up does look like a rodent like animal. Maybe a chipmunk? Takao isn't sure what kind, he needs to speak with her for that.

But finding out the specifics isn't that important. At least not with that girl. He looks back to his side, where Midorima decided to start with his lunch. Why can't he just look at his friend like he did to those other people? Why can't he just find even a little hint about Midorima's soulanimal, while one look at that boy was enough to know that he was a feline?

Takao sighs and put his head on his arms, now looking at the ugly wall in front of him. He is tapping with his fingers on the table in the rhythm of a popular song while overthinking his observations. It is weird, he can even guess what kind of feline the guy is, by the confident way he is presenting himself to that girl. Like he can almost see the cheetah is purring with delight. But there is nothing like that in Shin-chan.

Abruptly he stops tapping, his finger still hanging mid-air. Slowly he tilts his head up, watching his friend while a realization flashes through him. How didn't he see this before? Everyone shows a little of their soulanimal in the things they do. That is why Takao could always figure it out. But that is what he is missing in Midorima.

Midorima doesn't let anything show from his soulanimal. Not even a little thing like a growl or a purr, at least, not that Takao can remember. Midorima keeps it deep within him. As if it isn't there. As if he wants to ignore it. As if...

"Shin-chan, do you hate your soulanimal?" Takao says out loud without thinking.

The moment the question leaves his mouth he already regrets it. He sees Midorima going rigid next to him. Takao quickly wants to make a joke out of it, to make the situation light again. But the words are stuck in his throat the moment his sharp eyes take in every detail of Midorima's face. The guy has an expression of pure panic, with fear shimmering in his eyes. It only takes Midorima a moment to compose himself again. With an angry scowl he stands up, hands gripping so hard at the mirror in his hands that Takao gets scared that it would break.

"I don't see how this is any of your concern." He says with a steady voice, only his hands betray his tension.

"Ah, Shin-chan I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Takao stands up too, trying to make his mistake right.

"I am not uncomfortable, stupid." The taller guy says harsh. But the way he gets his bag and other stuff says otherwise.

"I have somewhere to be." Is the last thing he says before fleeing the scene.

"Shin-chan, wait." Takao says after him, but the other is already out of the classroom.

With a sigh Takao puts his hands in his hair. That was a massive mistake. Slowly he walks back to his own place and sits down. Why did he say that? He knows it is a terse subject for Midorima.

This might have ruined all the progress he made thus far with getting his friend to open up to him. And even worse, Midorima will definitely be angry. A sour taste emerges in his mouth which Takao can't seem to swallow away.

He smiles wryly at his hands. At least he got the answer to his question.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincere apologies for not updating this long.   
> Thanks for staying with me <3

Midorima keeps tense the rest of the day. After returning to the classroom he doesn't spare Takao a single glance and sits down while putting the mirror as careful as possible on the table.

Takao sees his friend working on his tasks, but he somehow seems distracted. He keeps looking out of the windows. The distraction is even evident after school, Midorima loses his focus on the court a lot. Takao winches when he hears the coach scold the greenhead. He feels like it is his fault that Midorima is like this now.

More than once he tries to apologize or at least talk to his friend. But Midorima is ignoring him completely. He won't even tell him to shut up like usual when Takao talks too much. He just averts his eyes and walks away when possible.

It is so rude, worse than Midorima usual acts, that even the rest of the team starts to notice that something is up between them. But Takao can't really hold it against his friend. He just needs to get him calm again.

In the end Takao is taken off the court when he lost his focus and passed the ball again to a wrong teammate.

"Just go run a few laps, and make sure to fix your attention problem before tomorrow." The coach tells him. It is surprisingly kind, for his standards. Takao gives him an apologetic smile and promises him to work on it.

While running he can focus on his thoughts some more. Slowly he starts making plans to get Midorima to talk to him again.

He is already at plan 'G' when he notices that the rest of the team left the court and headed to the changing rooms. The training must be finished before he noticed. Well, if he can run without a problem for all this time, then that means that his stamina is getting better. With a content smile he also heads to the locker room.

It is then that he hears the shattering crash, followed by some mumblings and then an angry growl. Takao gets close enough to hear the mumbling words and can decipher some 'Oh no's and then a louder "Holy shit, get the fuck out of here!"

He reaches the open door and wants to look inside when he gets roughly shoved out of the way by his scared teammates. Someone even lets out a very unmanly scream while walking past Takao.

"What is..." Takao stammers when he sees them run away.

"It's Midorima, just get away!" He hears Miyaji yell at him before the last person disappears out of the corridor.

Shin-chan? Is there something wrong? Takao doesn't listen to his team mates and continues to walk into the locker room. A few lockers are still open and some sport bags with clothing are on the floor and the bench. However more importantly, also scattered on the floor are the broken pieces of a mirror.

Oh no. That must be Shin-chan's lucky item!

Takao looks around the room but doesn't see Midorima anywhere.

"Shin-chan?" Takao whispers into the room. "Are you here?" he asks. The atmosphere makes him very uncomfortable. He doesn't know why but his instincts are telling him to be extremely cautious.

Slowly he sets another step into the room. The shattered mirror cracks under his sneakers.

Now he is a step further into the locker room he can see the hallway to the showers. His sharp eyes immediately focus on the orange uniform on the ground. It is ripped but still mostly intact. Is that Midorima's number he sees?

Another step further, this time more careful so he doesn't step on the mirror pieces. "Shin-chan?" Takao says again, his voice pitching higher at the end in his discomfort.

Then the hisses start. It begins soft but proceeds in a low and threatening growl.

It roots Takao in his place. He'd never heard something like that before and it sends shivers through his spine. The sound comes from the showers, and even when he is tempted to transform in his hawk and fly away right that moment, Takao still gets closer.

Until he sees it. Or actually Takao isn't really sure what he is seeing.

Back all the way against the wall, as if it could hide away in the stones, stands the largest reptile Takao has ever seen. From flat head with its rounded snout to the tip of the thick muscled tail (which is just as long as the entire body), the monstrosity is at least 9 feet tall.

The green-grey skin looks reinforced with rough, durable scales and the small bowed legs end in enormous claws with crazy talons that are longer than Takao's claws when he is his Hawk.

A long yellow forked tongue slips out of the reptile's mouth the moment Takao is noticed and the hissing gets even nastier.

Takao hunches more into himself, trying to look smaller. It might be a dangerous thing to do for other people, but like this Takao could transform even faster in case he needs to fly away.

But even though the scary hissing continues, the giant lizard doesn't look like it's going to attack him right this moment.

Takao takes a shuddering breath. It is okay, this is Midorima, right? It must be him. Breaking his lucky item probably made him angry.

But then he notices the way the monster is looking at him. Aside from the threatening stance and the angry hissing, Takao sees a reflection on fear in the animal's green eyes.

"It's me, Shin-chan. You don't have to be afraid." Takao whispers in a soothing voice. If he would say this to Midorima's human form, he would probably get a scoffing rejection or an insult. But right now Midorima can't hide behind harsh words.

The lizard stops hissing and lowers his head but keeps looking at him intently. Again, his forked tongue darts out and if this situation wasn't so tense, Takao had laughed about how ridiculous it looked.

"That's it." Takao says while shuffling a step closer, but directly he is met with a deep angry growl. The reptile presses itself if possible even closer to the wall and now looks around for another place to go, but next to the small ventilation window, the only way out of these showers is right behind Takao.

"Wow. Okay Okay." Takao walks back and gives the animal more space. "I won't come near you if you don't want it." He says with his hands raised in a defensive manner.

In the rear of his eye vision Takao detects motion at the door. He looks and sees his coach standing in the door opening. He is watching Takao, a few of his teammates standing behind him. They must have brought him here.

Takao still has his attention on the reptile before him so when he hears the coach walking inside, he sees the animal tensing up and subsequently trying to reach up to the window to get away. This action makes him realize that the lizard is not only long but also large and wide. However, even when it tries to stand on his hind legs, scratching with its nails on the tiles, it can't open it.

"Don't come closer!" Takao directly instructs his coach, not bothering for a moment about being impolite.

The coach looks at him calculating. "I think it is better if you gave him space." Takao says a little softer, also looking at the guys in the doorway. He understands that they want to help, but he doesn't think them being here helps at all.

Takao hears a loud thump that indicates that the lizard is standing back on his four paws again. A quick glance his way tells Takao that it is still keeping its distance.

"Have you dealt with him before?" The coach asks Takao, looking thoughtfully at the scene.

Takao thinks about that question for a second and gives the coach a smile. "Yes, it will be okay, leave him to me." After all, he has dealt with Midorima before, hasn't he? Maybe not like this, but the large animal in there is still Shin-chan.

"Don't do anything reckless okay? And take him out of here when you calmed him down. Don't bother about the mirror shards. The ones responsible for breaking it will clean that up. I will be waiting by the court if you need me for anything else." The coach says. He then goes out of the room, closing the door behind him. Takao can still hear him speaking to the others but then the telling sounds of feet walking away signals them that they are alone again.

Takao brings his attention back to the big lizard, who is now somewhere in the corner of the showers. The green eyes aren't looking at him anymore and he looks hunched into himself.

"They are gone now, okay?" Takao says softly. He then swallows his fear and slowly starts to sit down against the wall opposite form the other.

"But I won't leave, so you can relax now." Takao says and waits. When realizes that Midorima, of course, won't be able to answer him this way, he continues talking.

"I am sorry about your lucky item, but how about we get another on our way back? A proper silver hand mirror this time. I will even voluntary ride the rickshaw for you over to that big shopping mall." He tells the reptile, trying to get the other to relax.

The reptile doesn't give any sign of attention, so Takao stays in his place. He lays his head against the cold wall behind him and his arms over his pulled-up legs.

The lizard's yellow tongue keeps darting out of its mouth now and then, and slowly Takao begins to calm down himself. After all, this isn't really a monster. It is just Midorima in his soulanimal form.

That makes him think about this morning. Suddenly he can kind of understand why Midorima doesn't like his soulanimal. First of all, it is a reptile, even more rare than a bird-like soulanimal. And maybe even more discriminated against. After all, it is cold-blooded, associated with a lot of negative traits.

But then again, this animal is huge and strong, Takao can see how Midorima was one of the Generation of Miracles if this is his soulanimal. He is pretty sure that this is the largest and most dangerous lizard species in the whole world.

That must have given Midorima some sense of pride, right? How did he still not like this animal when it is so amazing?

Takao can't seem to fathom what is going into his friend's head, even now he knows more about the answer of the biggest enigma surrounding Midorima, he can't understand him. And it attracts Takao extremely. It makes him wonder what more there is about Midorima Shintaro. And he wants to know it all.

"I am sorry about this morning." Takao says eventually when it is clear that Midorima wouldn't move.

"I know that your soulanimal is a terse subject for you, and I shouldn't have pried."

Now the Lizard looks up to him. Something sad is twinkling in its eyes and Takao feels bad for him.

"And I am sorry that this happened to you, I can't imagine how it must have felt to out yourself like this if you didn't want it."

A little sound from the reptile makes Takao go on. "But you know, I won't look at you differently now I know your soulanimal. Actually, I am super impressed right now." He says sincerely, with a little ensuring smile.

Green eyes look at him with doubt.

"I mean it Shin-chan. That you are an enormous lizard doesn't make me like you less. It even makes me like you more." Takao says but then starts blushing when he realises that that could count for a full-fledged confession.

"A-Ah Anyway." He starts when standing up again, stretching his arms over his head to get the stiffness out of it. "The rest of the team must feel bad too about breaking your things, but they also need to get their stuff before heading home. How about you change back into your human form, so we can get out of here?"

His cheeks are still burning when he walks to Midorima's locker, one of the many that is still standing open wide. He takes out the clothes Midorima was wearing that day and had folded neatly in his locker. Out of his own locker he gets his bag, gets the stuff out of it what he needs, and then takes only the bag with him. "I will now bring you your clothes, okay?" He says when he steps back into the shower room.

The reptile still starts hissing when he gets closer, so Takao decides to stop a few steps away from it. "Here you go." He lays his own bag on the floor and Midorima's clothes on it. No way the neat freak would've liked it if his clothes had touched the dirty floor.

"Now... I will get changed myself, right there. So, um, yeah." Takao points back to the lockers and gets back to his clothes again. From here he can't see Midorima anymore, but he tries to be as silent as possible.

After a moment he hears nails scratching over the floor tiles, then the scratching suddenly stops, and is replaced by softer steps. That sounds like Midorima changed back, Takao thinks, and with a sigh he starts to undress himself. Halfway he changes to sitting on the bench with his feet high to not step into the mirror shards. They really need to clean that before someone steps into it.

Takao is now in his shirt and underwear, contemplating about how he is going to get his pants on without stepping onto the floor, when Midorima slowly steps out of the shower room. His shoulders are tens and his mouth is in a sour line, but Takao sees more in the tight jaw than just stress or anger. The shame seems to be pouring out of him in waves.

"Takao." He says softly, in a voice Takao has never heard before. It sounds broken and it makes Takao directly ready to help in any way he can. "Have you seen my glasses?" Midorima asks then.

"Yes! They are right- OW." Takao was standing up directly to get the glasses that were laying on the floor a few meters before Midorima, not thinking about the shards anymore. "Shit." He says when he feels a painful prick under his foot.

"What happened?" Midorima asks immediately, now his voice more steady like Takao knows it.

"Ah, it is nothing." Takao says while wincing, the last steps he stands on his toe and this time really looks where he puts them. After he picked up the glasses he lays them in Midorima's hands.

Midorima puts them on right away and looks at Takao. However, while saying the next thing, he shamefully averts his gaze.

"Thank you."

The acknowledgement is short, but more than Midorima has said before. And Takao knows that the thanks is for more than just giving him his glasses.

He smiles back up to him. "No problem, Shin-chan." He says with his voice just as soft as Midorima's.

For a moment they are just standing there, both not sure how to proceed from here. However, just as Takao wants to proceed with a funny jest, Midorima pulls up his nose ands starts sniffing the air. Immediately he gets a crease in his brow and looks down at Takao. "You are bleeding."

Takao blinks surprised, did Shin-chan smell the blood? He realises that it must be from when he cuts his feet. Looking down while pulling his feet up for inspection confirms his suspicion. "Ah, I just stepped in a mirror shard, didn't realise it cut that deep though." He says lightly.

"Sit there." Midorima commands when he sees the cut himself and starts walking to his locker.

"It doesn't bother me, really." Takao says when he sees Midorima get the tape he usually uses for his fingers with a bandage.

"If you want to be able to walk home, you should at least make the bleeding stop. And this will also prevent the blood getting into your socks and shoes."

No longer protesting, Takao sits down on the nearest bench. Midorima crouches before him and asks for his foot. The greenhead bandages the foot as if he has done this before and Takao mostly watches him in silence. He notices that Midorima's fingers are shaking, it is slightly but it seems to get worse with the seconds.

"You know, you will be a great doctor, you already have the skill of commanding your patients and everything." He jokes when Midorima puts the last tape in place. The other only hums and gets up.

"If you can walk on it like this, then I should leave. I am still unstable and therefore dangerous right now." Midorima says while getting the last of the things in his bag. He hands are now shaking so much, that it can't be missed.

Takao swiftly stands up, ignoring the twinge in his feet, and stops Midorima by grabbing his wrist before he can go anywhere. "No." He breathes out.

Midorima looks at his hand and subsequently in Takao's eyes. "Let me go Takao, you really need to get away from me." He says, voice going taut. But Takao won't have any of it. He squares his shoulders and after a deep breath he says.

"I am not letting you go in the state that you are right now, not alone. You need someone around now more than ever and I would never let you get through this by yourself. Everyone loses control sometime. You can't stay in your human form the whole time."

Midorima takes his arm back roughly, distancing himself by stepping back. "I can." He responds a bit strained. And then something starts to dawn for Takao. He has seen that pure expression of conviction on his friend before. It is the face Midorima wears when he believes in something for one-hundred percent, like the predictions of Oha asa.

"When was the last time you changed?" He asks while dreading the answer.

"Three years ago." Midorima states while pushing his glasses right. It makes Takao look at him in shock. Not changing in three years. That isn't possible, or at least very unhealthy. You can't just neglect a side of yourself for that long. That Midorima didn't had a breakdown before is a wonder.

"But, you need to change." He says almost as soft as a whisper.

Midorima hears him and snaps uncharacteristically. "It isn't that easy Takao!" He says in a hard voice, fists balled to stop the trembling. Automatically Takao takes a step back, his body is moving before he can process what he is doing.

However, Takao sees the other regretting his outburst only a second later in the way he hunches in himself. The greenhead gives him an apologetic pained gaze, and Takao sees him struggling with words. And somehow that is the moment Takao realises the reason of the fear he was seeing in the reptile's eyes.

Midorima was afraid of hurting the others, afraid of hurting him. The realization strikes him hard, but then his hearts starts overflowing with warmth. Never did Takao love his friend more than now, which probably means that there is something wrong with him. Falling for a powerful monster, which will probably hurt him if he doesn't watch out, can't be very healthy.

But Takao won't be able to stop his feelings. However, he can put them on holdfor now. Because right now his friend needs his help more than he wants to admit.

"Shin-chan." He says while slowly reaching out. When Midorima doesn't recoil, he softly places first his fingers and then his whole hands on the other's fists. He keeps watching Midorima's reaction and stays alert. His heart is beating loudly in his chest, but he only stops getting closer again until he can feel the shift in the air of Midorima's rough exhale. In the meantime Midorima only watches the way Takao's hands are wrapped over his fists.

"I might not understand everything what you are going through." Takao then says with earnest grey eyes. "But I do have experiences with soulanimal problems."

While talking he starts to softly pry the other's fists open, until he has both trembling hands in his. "You need to stay calm and relax if you want to stay in control. Not being alone might help with that more than you think."

Green eyes are boring into his while Takao feels the Midorima's hands in his grow colder. "I could hurt you." The greenhead says with a brittle voice.

Takao grips the cold hands tighter. "You could, but you won't." He says with strong conviction behind his words.

A flicker of doubt is still present in Midorima's eyes, but he seems to bow instinctively closer to Takao's heat. The warmth in Takao's chest morphs into a pull, and Takao feels himself also drawn to the other.

Takao pulls one hand free and puts it on Midorima's cheek, which is just as cold as his hands. He partly expects his friend to pull back, but the greenhead leans into his hand and clenches his eyes, as if he is trying very hard to stay focused.

"If you don't trust yourself, then trust me." Takao pleads while sliding his fingers into the green strands and coaxing the other even closer. It takes a lot of self-restraint to not take advantage of the situation and kiss the guy, but instead he brings his other arm around Midorima's shoulders and guides his friend into a comforting hug.

Takao knows it was the right action when he feels Miodirma immediately relax into his warmth. It surprises him, he expected the greenhead to get more rigid and distant like he always holds himself. But the way the other unwinds in his arms makes Takao wonder if Midorima is always holding himself back.

He then feels Midorima's hands wavering on his back, still hesitant. Takao smiles into Midorima's neck. "You won't hurt me." He whispers while making soothing circles over his back.

It takes another shuddering breath from Midorima, but then he finally holds Takao closer, hands fisted in his shirt. They stand like that for long moment until Takao feels the trembling leaving Midorima's body.

After that Midorima slowly lets him go and Takao backs away enough to be able to look him in the eyes. "So... how about I get my last things now, we get you your lucky item and go to your house." He says softly with an encouraging smile.

Midorima, while trying to hide the blush that's evident on his face, nods and let's go of Takao completely.

In a rush, Takao puts on his pants and shoes (which sits uncomfortable but not painful), gets his bag from the shower room and stuffs his uniform in his bag.

It is only when he is done and turns around to his friend that he notices Midorima observing him. He wears that expression that Takao immediately recognizes. He gives the other a smile and asks. "Did you want to say something else?"

Midorima blinks and swallows thickly, but Takao knows better than to rush him when he is like this.

"I am sure you are going to ask it later, and I want it to be done for." Midorima tells him, using unclear words that make Takao even more curious.

"Ask what?" He answers with a smirk to help his friend in explaining what he wants to say.

The greenhead gives him a levelled stare and then sighs deeply. Takao then finally gets his answer on the question he was asking himself for months.

"My soulanimal." Midorima responds. Takao's eyes widen, the smirk fading from his face to be replaced with an expression of wonder.

"It is a Komodo Dragon."


End file.
